


Valentine Shenanigans

by Homeiswheremycatis



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Adorkable Jackson, Alternate Universe - High School, And really chill, Anonymous Admirers, Bisexual Jack Frost, Candy Grams, Cool Hiccup, Cupid - Freeform, Cute, Cutie pies, Dorks, Emma is a little Shit, Female Hiccup - Freeform, First Date, First Dates, Fluff, Grumpy Hiccup, Hiccup Can Cook, Hiccup is Romantic, Hot Hiccup, Human Jack, Human Toothless, Jackson Can't, Lesbian Couples, Minor Swearing, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nerd Jack Frost, Nice Hiccup, OOCness, POV Change, Popular Hiccup, School, Straight Couples, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day, Valentines, embarrassing mothers, gay boyfriends, gay couples, lovey-dovey stuff, sorry - Freeform, sorta - Freeform, too much candy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 11:19:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6003955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Homeiswheremycatis/pseuds/Homeiswheremycatis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hayden never really liked Valentine's Day. The over commercialized holiday was nothing short of obnoxious in her eyes. She was never one for romance anyway. Maybe it's the heavy amount of sugar, or maybe it's the sickening amount of love in the air, but something about that adorable sophomore made her want to sing and write poetry. Hayden blames the holiday in general.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Valentine Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's a Sunday and no one is in school for Valentine's Day, but I'm making it on a school day so there.

"Happy Valentine's Day everyone!" An overly peppy female voice called into the loud speaker. "Don't forget that you can send anonymous candy grams to the object of your affections! These candy grams can be purchased in the cafe or in any of the house offices! But don't delay! During the last period of the day, the candy grams will be given out! Have a /love/-ly day!" 

Gods she was getting a headache. If she had to put up with /one/ more overly affectionate couple making out in front of her locker, she was going to punch someone. Right in the face. Soon she would have to make a quick stop at the bathroom to get all of the confetti and glitter out of her hair. Some idiot wanted to surprise his boyfriend, and it somehow required throwing glitter and confetti. While the gesture was kinda sweet, she had been caught in the crossfire. (The males apologized profusely but Hayden just waved them off with a grumble). Now, she had flashy sparkles buried in the long strands of her shaggy auburn hair, and it was making her scalp itch. 

At least she matched the decorations now. The red, pink, and white streamers hanging from the ceilings made a canopy above the students. There were also tons of other heart decorations and Cupid cut outs littering the walls. Love was quite literally in the air, and all the high school couples were taking advantage of being able to show PDA and not get in trouble for it. She actually just passed a girl giving her boyfriend a huge red card, and another girl giving her girlfriend a giant heart shaped box of chocolates. It was so sweet Hayden feared she would get a cavity. Or that her teeth would rot and fall out of her head. 

Hayden really hated Valentine's Day. And no, it wasn't because she didn't have a date, (quite the contrary actually, as every year she received a lot of love letters and gifts from her peers) she just hated all the overly lovey dovey crap. Gods, everything was just too vibrant and obnoxious for her liking. While everyone else remained in good spirits, Hayden just wanted to get through the day. 

"Hey there little Miss Loveless." Hayden's best friend Noah teased as he came up to walk beside her. Hayden just rolled her eyes and shoved the tall olive skinned boy. 

"Don't you have anything better to do than be a pain in my ass today?" Hayden asked gruffly. She wasn't in the mood to put up with anyone's shit today, not even her best friends antics. 

"I mean, I would totally rather be shoving my tongue down my boyfriends throat instead of having to look at your grumpy face," okay, she did not need to know that, "but I wanted to give you something." That caught her attention. 

"Huh?" She asked dumbly, tripping over her foot. Noah just rolled his toxic green eyes before fishing out a little box, bit bigger than the size of her hand, from the pouch of his hoodie. 

"Happy Valentine's Day Hiccup." Hayden took the small black box from his hand and just stared at it. 

"You aren't about to propose to me are you?" She drawled with a smirk. Noah gave her a shove into her Honors English classroom but Hayden merely chuckled. "But really, thanks Noah." She gave him a crooked smile and he nodded in response. 

"I'll c'ya later Hic. Try not to kill anyone okay?" He teased, flashing a smile of his own. Then, he took off down the hall to get to his next class. Hayden made her way to the back row and sat down in her seat before undoing the emerald green ribbon that was tied around the small box. She opened it, and smiled at the small candies inside of it. It was a special recipe that Noah's mum made, and they were Hayden's absolute favorites. Only problem was that the ingredients were expensive, and thus they couldn't be made that often. Hayden smiled warmly as she popped one of the small candies into her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a loud, satisfied moan of approval, ignoring the (obvious) flustered looks from her peers, and savored the rich flavor. 

"Enjoying yourself I see?" Hayden opened one of her emerald eyes and saw her blond haired friend Astrid, who was sporting a sly smirk, take a seat to her left. Hayden ignored the captain of the lacrosse team in favor of enjoying the candies. 

"Don't be jealous." She quipped regardless, popping another candle into her mouth. After that, she closed the box and put it away, wanting to save some of the rich candies for later. 

"I'm not jealous, I've got a girlfriend who will get me all the candies I want." Astrid bragged triumphantly, folding her arms behind her head and leaning back in her seat. Hayden snorted at the comment. 

"Yes, because Merida is /definitely/ the romantic type." Hayden drawled. The only way Mer would get Astrid candy was if she begged. The miffed blond reached over and smacked Hayden on the back of her head, resulting in a little yelp from her. "Shut up glitters." Hayden grimaced as she saw glitter and confetti fall into her desk. Damn it, she had forgotten to go to the bathroom to get that crap out. 

"Gods this stuff is annoying." Hayden bemoaned, running some fingers through her hair. "I'm gonna head to the bathroom and clean myself off." She announced as she stood up and sauntered towards the door. As she turned into the hallway, she ended up running into another student. While she didn't knock them over, she heard the tell tale sound of books falling to the ground. "Oh crap, sorry dude." Hayden apologized as she bent down to pick up the fallen books. 

"I-it's okay. I should've watched w-watched where I was g-going." A nervous voice stuttered from above her. Hayden stood up, books in hand, and held them out to the boy. Hayden bit the inside of her cheek in order to prevent herself from 'awing' at the sight before her. It was Jackson Overland, one of the nerds of the school. Hayden always thought he was cute, especially when he wore those adorable sweater vests. Right now, he was wearing a crisp white button down shirt with a blood red sweater vest over it. His brown hair was still messy and in disarray, but the red blush on his face complemented him nicely. Jackson definitely looked exceptionally adorable today. 

"Don't worry about it." Hayden said, flashing a wide smile up at the teen. "Just be careful in the future okay?" She asked with a little wink "It'd be a shame if you were to get hurt. I'll c'ya later." Hayden waved nonchalantly as she headed down to the girls bathroom. She heard him utter a little 'bye' as she strutted down the nearly empty hallway. There were, of course, a few lingering couples and the occasional loner, but other than that the hall was quiet. Hayden took this time to allow a pleased smile appear on her face. Jackson really was a cutie, and seeing him always made her feel better. That heavy blush that she had caused to appear on his face made her all giddy inside. Woah, what? Perhaps all the Valentines stuff was messing with her head. 

She shrugged off her leather jacket and rolled up her sleeves before turning on the water and collecting some in her hands. She ran her wet fingers through her hair for a few minutes, but it didn't seem to be working. She really only ended up covering her fingers in glitter, and her hair was slightly discolored. She sighed as she heard the bell ring, and decided to wait until she got home to properly clean her hair. Hayden put it up in a very messy ponytail, grabbed her jacket, and headed back to class. 

"There you are Miss Haddock." Her English teacher greeted tersely. She was obviously waiting for an explanation. 

"Sorry," Hayden replied a bit sheepishly, "I got caught in a glitter bomb, so I went to the bathroom to try and clean myself off. As you can see, it didn't really amount to anything." She lamented as she shrugged on her jacket and sat back in her seat. The teacher frowned in disapproval, but went back to explaining the lesson plan. In celebration of Valentine's Day, their assignment was to write a short story or poem about the person they admired. Many friends exchanged excited glances, though Hayden merely sighed. She had an idea of who she wanted to write about, but doing it in class made her feel, exposed. Perhaps if she wrote in Norse it would be better. Only a few people she knew could read it, so that would make her writing a little more private. 

"Well, I know who /I'm/ going to write about." Astrid said smugly as she whipped out her notebook and a pencil. Hayden ignored her friend and instead took a lazy glance around the room. Her gaze fell on Jackson, who was sitting two seats before her in the row to her left. He was shyly looking over his shoulder at her, his eyes full of longing. When they made eye contact, Jackson's face turned a bright red and he quickly turned away. Hayden smirked before pulling out a notebook and pencil of her own and began to scribble down a little description of the person she admired. 

Hayden began with writing about how his beautiful milk chocolate hair looked so soft and fuzzy. She so badly wanted to run her fingers through it. His skin was smooth and flawless and how he had the perfect amount of freckles decorating the ridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks. She mentioned that he looked even cuter with a blush. Hayden wrote about how clumsy the lithe boy was, finding his little stumbling adorable. His bass voice was smooth and melodic, sounding beautiful even when he was tripping over his words. Most of all, she wrote about how gorgeous his wide brown eyes were. They were deep and intelligent, and they absolutely sparkled when he smiled. She would happily drown in those warm pools of milk chocolate, those eyes that matched his hair. 

"Well, looks like someone's a sap." Astrid teased when she leaned over her shoulder. Hayden jumped in her seat and shoved the blond girls face away. She fought down a blush as the annoying junior let out a loud, throaty laugh, catching the attention of the entire class. 

"Astrid shut up or I swear to the gods I will end you!" Hayden threatened as she shielded away her little love letter. Gods she was so embarrassed. This dumb holiday was /really/ screwing with her head. 

"Looks like someone has a cruuush." Astrid sang cheekily, ducking away from Hayden's fists. 

"Astrid /shut up/!" Hayden hissed between gritted teeth, landing a punch to the teen's arm. Astrid merely laughed again but she quieted down. Hayden decided to distract herself with drawing a little sketch of Jackson on the back of her 'love letter'. Maybe it would help her calm down. 

~~

Jackson tried not to fidget in his seat, but he was about as successful at doing that as he was keeping the blush off of his face. His heart was palpating heavily in his chest, and he was struggling to control his breathing. When Astrid had declared that Hayden had a crush on somebody, he was filled with hope that it would be him. He quickly reminded himself that Hayden was cool and popular and way out of his league, but he couldn't help dream. 

The memory of his most recent encounter with the teen was seared into the forefront of his mind, and he couldn't stop thinking about it. And he swore that Hayden had even /winked/ at him. Oh, how that made his heart flutter. Jackson really felt ridiculous. He was acting like some anime school girl right now! Hayden would probably find him too weird anyway. 

He shook himself again and forced himself to focus on his love letter. It was pretty obvious who it would be about, and Jackson couldn't help the slight pump of adrenaline that he got every time he thought about actually /giving/ Hayden his letter. She would probably flat out reject him. She wouldn't do it in a mean way; Hayden had rejected a lot of people, but never in a mean way. 

Hayden was awesome like that. She was considered one of the popular cool kids, yet she was a genuinely kind, empathetic, and down to earth person. He'd seen her helping out at some of the local charities, and her devotion to helping others was something he really admired about her. Not to mention, she was beautiful. Her bright, emerald green eyes were big and captivating. Her face had remnants of baby fat, and her freckles made her look younger than she was. Her odd yet gorgeous auburn hair shown gold if the light caught it just so and she walked with an air of confidence and coolness. Regardless of how nice she was, Hayden was a kickass that didn't take shit from anyone. It wasn't like she would strike fear into the hearts of all the students, but people generally didn't argue with her. 

Jackson, in contrast, was a geeky little weirdo that couldn't swing a bat properly and couldn't dance to save his life. He had two left feet, even when it came to walking, and he was too much of a shut in to properly develop any social skills. One of the only things he had going for him was his singing voice, but even that was debatable. He was too thin for his liking and his eyes and hair were both an ugly dirt color. He didn't wear glasses, thank God, but his dress choice was drastically different from everyone else in the school. Despite his nerdyness, he wasn't bullied too much. Except, that is, by his bitter ex-boyfriend Pitch Black; he was generally just ignored. He was invisible to the masses of students. 

No way would Hayden ever give him a second glance. 

~~~

"Hayden c'mon! Tell meeee!" Noah whined loudly as he, Astrid, Merida, and Hayden made their way to last period. 

"Noah, I said no!" Hayden growled out. Seriously, could none of them let it go?

"C'mon Noah, give it a rest." Astrid said, her face mildly amused. "Besides, it's easy to figure out who she likes." Hayden leveled a death glare at the blond to her right. 

"Can we please /not/ talk about this?" Hayden groaned, tilting her head back. 

"Ooh! Isit tha' tall sophomore boi? Tha wone with windswept brown 'air? Wha's 'is name, Jackson?" Merida asked from her spot beside Astrid. Hayden bit the inside of her cheek and looked away, causing all three of them to break out into uproarious laughter. 

"Why do I hang out with you lot again?" Hayden asked herself loudly, earning a jab in the rib from Astrid and a punch to the shoulder from Noah. "Ow! See?! You lot are downright abusive!" She declared, rubbing the places where she got hit. 

"Awe Hic, y'know yew love us." Merida leered playfully, her wild mane of curly orange hair bouncing with every step she took. 

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya Mer-Bear." Hayden teased, waving her off. Merida opened her mouth to shout a retort, but only let out a startled yelp when a kid wearing all black darted past them. He was cackling loudly and was being followed by one of the teachers. 

"Was that Pitch again?" Astrid asked with annoyance. No one answered, but they all assumed that it was. Pitch was the schools resident assclown, a dick no one liked. He was manipulative and a shitty human being. Why he hadn't been expelled yet was lost on Hayden, but she didn't think about it too much. 

"Soooo," Noah dragged out after the pregnant beat of silence, "are you gals ready to receive all those anonymous candy grams?" All three of them groaned in exasperation at the mentioning of the candy grams. It was one of the things she didn't like about Valentine's Day. Every year, she received a plethora of candy grams, all accompanied with declarations of love. All in all, it wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was still downright annoying. 

"Ugh! No, why does no one seem to get that I'm taken?" Astrid asked, throwing her hands into the air, which was awkward, seeing as how her fingers were interlocked with Merida's. 

"Ahm no' complainin'. Ahm jus' happy aye get free candeh!" Merida declared with a whoop. 

"Yes, but guys and girls are still pining after Astrid. Y'know, your girlfriend." Hayden pointed out, smirking when Merida's eyes widened in realization. Hayden let out a loud laugh when Mer practically crushed Astrid to her body in a giant bear hug. Hayden had thrown her head back as the laugh was torn from her throat, and she was laughing a lot harder than she probably should have. It was just so funny!

"Wow Mer, I had thought you'd known that already." Noah smirked, chuckling as well. Merida just sent him a hard glare and pulled Astrid closer to her body. 

"Mine." Merida stated, half burying her face in Astrid's shoulder. The blond girl merely patted Merida's head as they continued to their last class of the day, as if trying to pacify the girl. 

"Well then, I pity the poor saps that try to take Astrid out on a date." Noah said with a shake of his head, causing his long black hair to fan out a bit. 

"Yeah." Hayden smiled in agreement. "And whoever tries to give Aster a card." Noah's face immediately darkened and a small growl could be heard building up in the back of his throat. Hayden let out a light laugh at his expression. "Don't worry Bud, I'm sure Aster isn't going to leave you for some poet." She chuckled at the deadpan expression he gave her. 

"Wha' 'bout yew Hic?" Merida asked as they walked into class and took their seats. "Yew're gonna get swarmed with lil' love lett'rs." She teased, causing Hayden to roll her eye in annoyance. While her friends usually got quite a few cards, Hayden always got a haul. Every year she got at least twenty candy-grams, it made her feel like she was in a typical anime and she was the school's prince. 

"Yeah, definitely looking forward to that." She said, taking her sketchbook out and starting a new sketch. The bell rang overhead, and the class began. No one was really paying attention to the lesson, seeing as how everyone was anticipating getting a candy gram. Hayden kept glancing up at Jackson, who had taken a seat in the very front. Hayden had gotten him a candy gram during lunch, thinking 'why the hell not?' Better to regret doing something than to regret doing nothing at all. 

The teacher rambled on about nothing important when two girls appeared in the doorway. The bouncy pink haired girl was wearing a white dress with pink and red hearts on it and she was holding a large woven basket in her arms. The girl with long blond hair was actually her friend Rapunzel, and she was wearing a long, white, billowing dress with a golden sash tied around her waist. She had on a pair of fuzzy angel wings and a sparkly golden halo attached to her headband. She was holding a bow and arrow in her hands, and Hayden assumed she was playing Cupid. She even had a quiver on her back and a woven basket hanging in the crook of her arm. 

"We come bearing giiiiiiifts!" The girl with pink hair called out jovially, singing the last word as she lifted the basket in her arms. Everyone stared in anticipation as the girl and Rapunzel handed out the candy grams. Not everyone got one of the grams, but those who got nothing busied themselves with fawning over their friends' candy grams. 

"You've got a real haul you guys." Rapunzel laughed, her spring green eyes lighting up in excitement. She dug into the basket and pulled out a small pile of tied up grams. She handed the first bundle to Astrid, about five total. Next, she pulled out three and handed them to Merida. Punzie handed two to Noah, before finally turning to Hayden. "I think you've got the school record for receiving the most candy grams Hayden!" The auburn scoffed in reply, feeling generally annoyed. 

"Whoopee." She said flatly, swirling her finger in the air. "How many have I got?"

"Over thirty!" The hot pink haired girl exclaimed as she bounced over. "You've got a loooot of people who admire you, Hayden!" Hayden stared in awe at the large pile of cards that were set on her desk. This was almost an overwhelming amount of cards, and it made her feel like crap. As pathetic as it sounded, it was kind of annoying to be adored by so many. She knew that she could have worse problems, so she didn't complain, but now she just felt bad. While she didn't return anyone's affections, she knew that it took a lot of courage to engage someone you had a crush on. She could respect everyone's bravery, but she didn't like any of her peers. Except Jackson, but he probably didn't get her one. 

"Wow, um... Wow." She said, at a loss for words. What the hell was she going to do with all of these. 

"Oh, and Hayden?" Rapunzel said quietly. Hayden turned to her and watched as Punzie leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I know it's supposed to be anonymous, but I've got another letter from a very special secret admirer." Hayden was confused as Punzis handed her a final card. There wasn't anything special about it, it looked like all the others. Hayden looked up at Punzie for an explanation and the girl smiled, like she knew something. "It's from Jackson." She whispered softly. Hayden's eyes widened and she felt her heart beat the slightest bit faster in her chest. 

"Thanks Punzie." Hayden said quietly. The blond smiled before collecting her friend and leaving the class. The teacher tried to redirect their attention back to the lesson but gave up when he realized no one was paying attention. Everyone was focused on the cards. After gulping, Hayden opened up the small purple card that had a chocolate rose attached to it. 

'Happy Valentine's Day Hayden. You probably get a lot of cards and while mine isn't anything special, I just wanted to tell you how amazing you are, and how I wish I was brave enough to tell you in person.' 

There was no name attached. How could Punzie know that this card was from Jackson? Hayden didn't know his handwriting, but she could probably figure it out really quick. She glanced up to look at Jackson, her heart beating quickly in her chest. 

~~

Jackson was staring in shock at the innocent little card on his desk. A small kit kat bar was attached to it, and Jackson hadn't opened it yet. Swallowing quickly, Jackson gently opened up the card. In very neat, blocky script was the following message. 

'Happy V-Day cutie. I'm not a poet by any means, but I think you're really cool. Meet me outside the gym right after school today, and I can treat you to dinner. XOXO'

Jackson was at war with himself. On one hand, this could be a cruel prank set up by one of the jocks or even Pitch. He wouldn't be surprised if his ex tried pulling something like that. On the other hand, he might actually meet someone that actually liked him, and Jackson was kinda in love with the idea of love. 

"Well," he said to himself, "it's not like I have anything to lose." He told himself as he opened up the Kit Kat bar. 

~~

Hayden was waiting patiently at the front of the gym, lazily glancing around. She hadn't specified a time for Jackson to show up, but if he didn't come by 2:30 she was leaving. And it wasn't as if the world was going to end if he didn't show. Yeah she'd be bummed, but life would go on. 

After about five minutes, Hayden smiled when she saw Jackson approaching. She watched him come closer, feeling her smile widen with each step he took. 

"Hey." Hayden greeted warmly, forcing herself not to turn pink. She wanted to squeal, Jackson just looked so cute!

"H-hello." Jackson stuttered, his face a dull red color. Well wasn't that a beautiful sight. Okay it's a good thing he showed up, Hayden would've been more than bummed if he didn't show. 

"I see you got my letter then." She said with a light chuckle. "Is there any particular restaurant that you'd like to go to?" She asked with a smile to hide the giddy nervousness slowly bubbling in her chest. 

"Wai-wait wait wait!" Jackson said loudly, shaking his head in disbelief. "/You're/ the one who sent me this?" He asked, holding up the card in his hand. 

"Yeah." Hayden said, scratching her itchy scalp. Damn glitter. "So, do you wanna head out now or hang out for a little while first? It's kinda too early for dinner anyway." Jackson was just staring at her, mouth hanging open wide. "What's wrong?" Hayden asked with a slight frown. 

"Wh-why?" He asked her. "Why me?" 

"I think you're interesting." Hayden shrugged. "And cute. But that's not the only reason I promise." She amended with a little laugh. "I think you're really smart, and I feel like you're bright enough where we can have an intelligent conversation." She told him honestly, not really sure what else to tell him. 

"R-really? You think I'm interesting?" He asked, tilting his head in an adorable way. 

"Yeah." Hayden shrugged with a smile. "But, I'm not exactly the romantic type, so I'm not so good with, y'know," she left off her sentence, waving her hand in the air to convey what she meant. 

"Are you sure it's not because you're awkward like me?" Jackson muttered under his breath. Hayden let out a bark of a laugh, shaking her head. 

"Okay yeah, I'll admit my awkwardness may have something to do with it." She said, scratching her cheek. 

"Oh, I didn't mean for you to hear that." Jackson said with a blush before averting his gaze. "And I meant it as a joke."

"Yeah, but you kinda hit the nail on the head." Hayden told him. "So, what do you want to be now?" She asked, patiently waiting for a response. Jackson bit his lip nervously as he shuffled his feet. Oh Gods he was cute. 

"Um, we, we could just hang out? I mean, I'm not really hungry right now, but we could do something together. I've been wanting to watch a few movies that I have at home collecting dust because none of my friends want to watch them with me and oh God I sound like such a loser I'm so sorry!" He shouted at the end of his rapidly given answer. His face had turned bright red and he was now hiding his face in his hands. Hayden smiled at the adorableness of it all. 

"Sure, whatever you want to do." Hayden grinned at him. Jackson snapped his head up to meet her gaze, beautiful brown eyes wide in disbelief.

"O-okay." He said, smiling shyly. Hayden smiled back before bravely taking his hand and leading him to her truck. They both got in, and Hayden gave Jackson a reassuring smile. 

"So, where do you live?"

~~

Jackson couldn't believe it. His stomach was hurting because he had laughed so hard at something hilarious Hayden had said. He never imagined that the cool girl would ask him out, let alone want to hang out with him. But, the more time he spent with her, the looser and more open he became, and the more he was falling for her. 

When Hayden and Jackson had been alone at first, he was nervous and anxious. However, Hayden's calm and understanding demeanor helped him relax too. They began telling jokes, engaging in playful banter, which mounted into an animated, full on debate. They spent an hour going back and forth, arguing about something that Jackson couldn't even remember. 

After that they settled down on the couch and began playing those geeky sci-fi movies that he loved so much. To his surprise, Hayden was just as interested in them as he was, even though she had an annoying knack for pointing out the flaws in a movie. 

"Everything would be so much simpler if they actually /read/ what was in front of their faces." Hayden muttered into her palm as the movie played. 

"Just shut up and watch the movie." Jack scoffed, throwing a kernel of popcorn at her. It hit and landed on her nose. The girl jolted before going cross eyed to look at the offending kernel. Jackson let out a loud belly laugh and toppled off of the couch. 

"Hahaha," Hayden laughed sarcastically as Jackson climbed back into the couch, "you think you're so funny don't you?" She drawled. 

"Yeah, pretty much." Jackson laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. Hayden copied his action and this sent them into another for of giggles. Who knew Hayden would be so, awesome and chill?

"So, when did you wanna head out for dinner?" Hayden asked happily after their laughter died down. Jackson froze up and played with his fingers in his lap. 

"Um," Jackson began nervously, "I was thinking that maybe we could just hang out here? I'm having a really good time and it's comfortable here so..." He left off his sentence and it was quiet for a while. 

"Uh, sure, we could do that. Do you wanna order in food or should I cook something?" Jackson gave here a wide eyed look. 

"You can cook?" He asked in awe. Jackson was a terrible cook. He managed to set the microwave on fire at least five times and anything requiring flour ended up all over him. He was hardly allowed in the kitchen after the incident with the frying pan. 

"Yeah. I've got this really amazing recipe for lasagna that goes great with garlic bread. I'll probably have to go out and get some things but it's really easy to make and /soooooo/ good!" Hayden groaned happily, smiling to herself. Jackson nodded at the idea, his mouth watering at the thought. 

"Wanna head out now?" He asked her. 

"Sure!" Hayden beamed. 

 

Their trip to the grocery store was pretty uneventful. They were surprised by the sheer amount of candy on display. The stopped dead in their tracks and just stared in awe at the sheer amount of candy. What the hell Walmart?

"Okay, tomorrow, I say we get here by seven and loot the place." Hayden said, throwing her arms out wide, gesturing to the candy. Jackson smiled at the idea and agreed. They quickly collected the items Hayden needs before heading to the check out isle. 

"Oh! One more thing!" Hayden said before swiping a couple of long red candles. Jackson gave her a confused look. "What? I thought it'd be romantic." Jackson blushed furiously because yes, it would be romantic. Having a candle lit dinner with the girl he adored was a dream come true. 

 

Once they returned home, it was around five o'clock. Hayden immediately set to work making the lasagna while Jackson sat at the bar area, feeling useless as he watched the woman cook. Hayden had assured him that she didn't mind, that she wanted to do this for him, and reluctantly he just sat back to watch. Well, it wasn't like he was any good at cooking anyway. As the hour went by, Hayden and Jackson kept a continuous conversation that bounced between anything and everything. It was probably the most fun Jackson had had in a while. 

"Okay lasagna's done!" Hayden sang out, setting the steaming pan on a coaster on the table. "Now all I gotta do is finish the garlic bread and we can eat." She said, smiling to herself. 

"I'm looking forward to it." Jackson smiled back at her, getting up to set the table. As he was setting out plates and glasses, Jackson heard the front door open. His heart practically stopped in his chest. 

"Jackson dearie, why is there a black truck in the driveway?" The familiar voice of his mother flitted through the house. Hayden stopped where she was, looking towards the front door curiously. Then she turned to look at Jackson. 

"Oh, I didn't realize your family would be over." She told him. To his horror, Jackson's mother and his little sister walked to the dining room/kitchen area and froze where they were. There was a pregnant beat of silence before anyone spoke. "Um, hello." Hayden said, setting down the garlic bread and taking off her oven mitts. "I'm Hayden," she introduced herself to his mother, holding out her hand, "you must be Jackson's mother." 

"Yes," his mother said slowly, shaking Hayden's hand, "I didn't know you were coming over." She said, giving Jackson a side long glance. 

"You're Hayden?" His little sister Emma asked, her big brown eyes full of curiosity. Hayden nodded and a huge smile broke out onto her face. She poorly stifled a giggle and looked between him and Hayden. Oh no. "Hehe, Jackson talks about you lots." His sister chortled. 

"E-Emma!" Jackson practically screeched. God this was mortifying. 

"It's true." His mother added unhelpfully. 

"Mother!" Jackson hissed, his face probably impossibly red. Hayden gave him a tiny smile, which was really more of a smirk, and let out a light chuckle. Oh God someone kill him now. 

"All good things, I hope?" Hayden asked happily. His mother and sister beamed at the popular girl, and Jackson didn't know if he should be relieved that they liked her, or terrified for the same reason. 

"Yeah!" Emma pipped up, walking closer to Hayden. "Jackson always talks 'bout how cool you are and how you're super smart, and how pretty you are." She added with a very childish giggle. Jackson wanted to die, seriously, could the earth please just swallow him up now?

"I am pretty great, huh?" Hayden joked, her green eyes alight with mirth. Emma gave her another bright smile before turning to Jackson and saying, "I like her." At least he had Emma's approval. 

"I do too." His mother spoke. "She's definitely a keeper Jackson. I'm assuming she's the one who made all this delicious smelling food? It must be true, you couldn't bake to save your life!" His mother teased affectionately. Jackson felt like his face was going to be permanently red. 

"Did you need something?" He asked quickly, screwing his eyes up tight. All three women laughed, but their laughter made him feel good, it was way better than how his family reacted to Pitch. His family seemed to take to Hayden very well, with Pitch it had been a disaster. He didn't like to think about it. 

"We were planning to go to a restaurant to eat, but I see you've already made plans." His mother said slyly, shifting her gaze between the two teenagers. "I'll leave you two alone then. But Hayden," his mother began innocently, "hurt my baby, and you won't be walking for a while." Jackson was about to scold his mother, worried that she'd scare Hayden away. To his, and everyone else's surprise, Hayden let out a loud and amused laugh. 

"I promise, your son is safe with me," Hayden assured, placing a hand on Jackson's shoulder, "Scout's Honor." She pledged. This caused the Overlands to all laugh, and Jackson's mother and sister soon left. Now it was just the two of them. Jackson's chest felt warm with pride, happy that his family and Hayden got along. 

 

~~

 

"I like your family." Hayden told Jackson honestly. They were a bit, strange, but welcoming people. Jackson looked relieved at her comment and suggested that they sit down to eat before the food got cold. Hayden lit the candles and Jackson turned off the lights. It was all very calming and romantic. Hayden liked it, she had never done something like this before. Maybe she was more of a romantic than she thought. 

"This smells wonderful." Jackson praised as he sat down. Hayden puffed up her chest in pride. 

"I promise it tastes even better." Hayden assured as she took a bite of her lasagna. The cheese wasn't too gooey, and it wasn't too hard. It was perfect. Jackson let out a small moan as he ate, and Hayden laughed at his flushed face. They didn't talk for a while, the food was too good to be ruined by needless conversation. It wasn't an awkward silence by any means, just calm. As the dinner whined down, conversation picked up again. They put away their plates and Jackson put the left over food in the fridge. 

"So, what now?" Jackson asked when they both were on the couch once more. Hayden looked outside and saw that the sky was dark. She glanced at her watch and read that it was a little after nine. 

"Well, it's pretty late. I don't have a specific time I need to be home. Want to hang out some more? Or do you want me to leave?" She didn't want to overstay her welcome. 

"Um, why don't you stay longer?" Jackson asked nervously from his spot on her left. "I enjoy spending time with you." Hayden felt a wide smile break out into her face. Okay, so maybe the over-commercialized holiday wasn't so bad after all. It got her this night with Jackson, so maybe she wouldn't hate it too much anymore. The glitter in her hair still itched though. 

"Sure," Hayden agreed, scooting closer to the sophomore boy and resting an arm on the back of his seat. Jackson stiffened for a moment before he relaxed and leaned into her body. Jackson was nice and warm, perfect for snuggling. "What do you wanna watch?" Jackson wanted to watch the Lord of the Rings, and Hayden didn't protest. She had seen the movies many times before, but watching them with Jackson made them so much better. Of course, she wasn't nerding out like he was, but it was cute.

Hayden didn't even remember falling asleep next to the adorkable boy, but she could still recall the feeling of his fingers intertwined with hers. She could still feel his warmth in her dreams and a gentle smile was spread across her face. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

**Author's Note:**

> *~*~*HÂPPŸ VÄŁĒŃTĮÑĘ'Š DÅŸ*~*~*
> 
> Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, even if you're single. Sorry if the ending seems a bit abrupt, I just didn't want the story to drag on longer than it needed to. So yeah, have a good day everyone! Please leave a comment telling me how you liked it or if there's anything I can improve on! Thanks!


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